1998:537 - DRUMLANE I, Monaghan

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Monaghan Site name: DRUMLANE I

Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 24:23 Licence number: 98E0499

Author: Martin E. Byrne

Site type: No archaeology found

Period/Dating: N/A

ITM: E 676515m, N 816114m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.088440, -6.830453

Investigations at this site were undertaken as part of the Castleblaney Urban Water Supply Scheme. Topsoil-stripping inside the way-leave area and within a 50m radius of the site was undertaken in compliance with the recommendations of the Archaeological Assessment Report. The work was undertaken before the commencement of the scheme in order that any archaeological features or deposits could be identified at an early stage so that appropriate protection measures could be implemented.

The site, c. 5.5km south-south-west of Castleblaney, lies on the south-western slope of a high north-west/south-east drumlin ridge, which is part of a very high east-west ridge further to the north. When originally surveyed in 1968 the site consisted of a circular, flat area (35m north-east/south-west x 37.5m) surrounded by a sharply defined, large earthen bank with a U-shaped fosse outside. The interior sloped gently from north-west to south-east. There was a large gap in the bank at the south-east, which may have been the original entrance, although at the time it was closed by a modern low bank. Furthermore, the outer face of the bank and surface of a possible causeway had been scarped, and the fosse was partly filled in at this point. A row of cottage plots extended from the south-east and south-west sides of the ringfort to the nearby laneway. There was also a large gap at the west, which was described as modern. A few modern field fences cut across the fosse at east-south-east and south, and a modern field fence was positioned at the outer tip of the fosse. A number of old cultivation ridges ran north-north-east to south-south-west through the interior of the site.

The present condition of the fort is somewhat different from that described above. The cultivation ridges both within and outside the fort had been levelled, and there are no surface traces in existence. Furthermore, much of the fort has been levelled, leaving only a faint trace of the bank on the ground surface running in an arc from south-south-east to north-north-west and no trace of the fosse. The remainder of the fort is as described above.

The area was slightly dog-legged in plan and measured 10m x 100m. No features, deposits or finds of archaeological interest were recovered.

39 Kerdiff Park, Monread, Naas, Co. Kildare